Antrim Hurling League – Division 1
Loughgiel 3-22 Rossa 1-17
Loughgiel kept their league title hopes alive when they beat Rossa at Fr Healy Park on Sunday. There was little between the sides in the opening half and just a point separated them at half time, but after the break the Shamrocks began to get the upper hand and they pushed on to win by eleven points.
Early points from Eddie McCloskey and Ciaran McKay gave Loughgiel the lead but Rossa came back with points from Stephen Beatty, Jamesie Connolly and Conal McPartland to edge ahead.
Shan McGrath then got the first of Loughgiel’s three goals when he fired home on seven minutes, and when Eddie McCloskey and Rian McMullan added points a bit of gap began to appear. However the Belfast men hit back with a goal of their own from Rian O’Neill to keep themselves in touch, and though Bubbles McMullan came back with two for the home side, two from Beatty and one from Connolly brought the sides level by the 20th minute.
As half time approached Rossa edged a point ahead, but and Eddie McCloskey goal on 25 minutes put Loughgiel two ahead again, and it took an injury time point from Thomas Morgan to cut the gap to a single point at the break.
A run of unanswered points from Shan McGrath, Dan McCloskey (2) Christy McGarry and Rian McMullan stretched the Loughgiel lead to six early in the second half and from that stage on Rossa were chasing the game. However the visitors hit four of the next five points through Jim Connolly, Stephen Shannon and Stephen Beatty to bring themselves back into contention.
A Christy McGarry goal on 47 minutes steered the game back in Loughgiel’s favour, and when Paul Boyle and Shan McGrath added points the gap was out to eight. Thomas Morgan and James Connolly kept their team’s hopes alive with two quick points, but Loughgiel finished with a flourish to wrap up the points.
ROSSA
Phil Crean, Conor Boyle, Christopher McGuinness, Andy McLean, Stephen Shannon, Eoin Trainor, Pearse Short, Chris Boyle, Owen May, Conor McPartland, Stephen Beatty, Thomas Morgan, Dairmaid Rogan, Rian O’Nell, James Connolly.
LOUGHGIEL
1 Chrissy 2. Tiernan Coyle 3 Rory McCloskey, 4. Ronan McCloskey. 5. Enda Og McGarry 6. Declan McCloskey. 7 Ruairi McCormick 8 Shan McGrath. 9 Dan McCloskey. 10 Paul Boyle 11 Ciaran McKay 12 Donal McKinley 13 Rian McMullan 14 Eddie McCloskey 15 Shay Casey
16 Odhran McGrath 17 Maol Connolly 18 Ryan McKee 19 Caolan Blair 20 Mick McGarry 21 Christy McGarry